News

East Lancs cricketers hit by thieves

AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after hundreds of pounds were stolen from a dressing room during a cricket match.

The thefts happened as Ribblesdale Wanderers welcomed Great Harwood to the Church Meadow ground in Clitheroe for the Ribblesdale League seniors game.

Veteran bowler Ian Britcliffe, who claimed two for 56 during the Great Harwood win, said the club had been left ‘unnerved’ by the thefts of around £350 from the away team’s bags.

It is the second time a cricket team’s changing room has been broken into with a month, with a dozen iPhones taken from Church Cricket Club on June 17. Many of the devices were later recovered after team members gave chase to the thief.

Mr Britcliffe said: “These sort of things do not usually happen in the centre of Clitheroe. It is very disturbong.

“The game was well attended, there were upwards of 60 to 70 people at the ground at any one time so you would think people would have seen it.

“Nothing like this has ever happened at Ribblesdale before.”

He said £250 was taken from one player’s wallet, with a further £100 being snatched from another’s bag.

Police were called to look into the thefts, which happened between 1.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday, and are now appealing for anybody with information to come forward.